At the core of the The AV’s project is a belief that an unfamiliar approach to a familiar song – particularly one with minimal studio interference – can help a listener gain a more nuanced appreciation of the artistry and craftsmanship that went into its making. Thanks to Resonance, the new south-Florida trio consisting of husband and wife Michael (guitar) and Rachel (vocals) Isla and percussionist Eduardo Lis, this listener has gained that added perspective toward a band that has always somewhat eluded him.

Michael, who has a master’s degree in classical guitar performance (Eduardo’s is in ethnomusicology), explains the group’s attraction to Tool in terms of the latter’s expressive multimedia stage performance, their use of non-Western tonalities, unusual time signatures (apparently, Tool has deliberately made much of their music unmoshable), and dash of minimalism.

In this acoustic version of Sober, a song replete with cynical references to the Son and the fallen state of man, Resonance, itself adept with multimedia, paints on a film noir-esque gloss to help project just the right aesthetic absent Tool’s stage show. And the somewhat muted nature of the interpretation allows the semi-conscious desperation to bubble to the surface.

I can’t resist accompanying the video with a condensed version of the lyrics, which package a powerfully dark message:

Why can’t we not be sober?
Just because the son has come?
Trust in me and fall as well.
I want what I want.